Kubitschek, Juscelino

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Kubitschek, Juscelino zho͞osəlē´no͝o ko͞o´bəchĕk [key], 1902–76, president of Brazil (1956–61). A surgeon and political centrist who served as mayor of Belohorizonte and governor of Minas Gerais, he was elected president in 1955. He launched an immense public works program, borrowing heavily to construct buildings, highways, hydroelectric projects, and the new capital city, Brasília. He offered enormous incentives to industry, and the country's productive capacity soared. The huge deficit spending, however, sparked an inflationary spiral, and the national debt reached almost $4 billion. Kubitschek was succeeded in office by Janio Quadros . In 1964, after a military takeover in Brazil, Kubitschek was deprived of his political rights and went into exile temporarily. He died in an automobile accident shortly after he regained his political rights. In 2014, Brazil's National Truth Commission said there was no documentary evidence that the accident was part of a military murder conspiracy.